A Capital Experience for Student Leaders  

Barry Devolin column (September 22/04)

During the recent election campaign, I put forward my list of Local Priorities for this riding. One of these priorities is a commitment to focus on children.

More specifically, I want to encourage young people to become more interested and involved in public life – whether it’s voting in elections, getting involved in community and local interest groups, or becoming active in student government.  I also want to show them the various careers in public life that await them after their education that they may not necessarily be aware of. 

That’s why I’ve created a program entitled A Capital Experience, where two students from local high schools will spend three days in Ottawa visiting government facilities to learn first-hand about a variety of interesting professional careers in the public sector.

I feel it’s important for secondary school students to start planning for their future and I hope this program will give them additional choices when considering a career.

This year’s trip is scheduled to begin on Sunday October 24, and students will be invited from the following high schools: Haliburton; Fenelon Falls; Brock; LCVI; I.E. Weldon; St. Thomas Aquinas; and Crestwood.

At this time, the agenda has not been worked out in detail, but it’s likely to include a tour of my offices and Parliament Hill, a visit to Agriculture Canada’s experimental farm, a meeting with staff in a Cabinet Minister’s office, and a question-and-answer session at External Affairs with a Foreign Service Officer.

I am also hoping to get an invitation for a formal reception at a foreign embassy, and to visit at least one non-governmental organization (e.g. CARE Canada). Given that this is the first year, it will be trial-and-error to determine how many stops we can reasonably make in 2 working days.

To pay for this trip, I have already sent out letters to a variety of potential sponsors in our community asking that they cover the costs for 1 of the 14 students. Most of these letters have gone to service clubs, but we are also trying to reach out to private businesses who may be interested in sponsoring a student from their community to attend.  Upon their return, each student will be asked to present a report on their experience to their sponsor. 

If you want to participate in this program, I encourage you to call Jamie Schmale in my office at 324-2400 or 866-688-9881 for more details.